Scratch a dog, and you'll find a
permanent job. ~ Franklin P. Jones
"Without chemo, he will
probably live another 2 months. With chemo, he might live up to 6 months."
Well, why would I subject him to the misery of chemo when it's only going to
extend his life a few months???? I might have actually yelled something
like that (with a choice word or 2 to emphasize my point) at Surgeon as he
suggested that I have a sit-down with UGA vet school’s oncology department.
I did a lot of crying and somewhat
pulled myself together, and a week later, Dr. R.R. the oncologist and I had
that sit-down. It never hurts to have a convo and get the scoop, right? I mean,
what if she might offer a miracle cure?? (nope! no such luck)
Her suggested course of action:
- Cardiac consult to make sure his heart was healthy enough to take the chemo (chemo is poison, afterall)
- IV chemo Doxorubicin once every 2 weeks for 5 treatments (2 weeks x 5 treatments = 10 weeks)
- Daily NSAID pill at home to help the chemo’s efficacy
- After that 10 weeks, metronomic chemo - cyclophosphamide pill at home each day – and continue the NSAID… until the cancer metastasizes (the elephant in the room)
Surgeon and Dr. R.R. – now one
of my favorite people in the whole wide world – both gave lots of helpful
info, but they were practical and sterile and honest about the pros and cons.
That’s the right thing for a medical professional to do afterall. But I wanted
some perspective on what it’s really like. I was still stunned that dogs
could even get cancer!! And I sure didn’t comprehend yet that there was a whole
vet specialization full of big words and drugs and poisons I couldn’t
pronounce.
Then out of nowhere, 2 beautiful
people - a knowledgeable vet friend of a friend and my colleague whose husband
is a dog trainer - shed some light... chemo doesn't usually affect dogs the
same way it affects humans. They usually don’t experience all the hair
loss, nausea and diarrhea, lethargy, and the all-around rotten feeling.
(Disclaimer: I don't know whether that's a medical fact or not, but it proved
true for Asa) And the vet friend of my friend threw in some additional
considerations for me to ponder:
- Can I afford it?
- How will it impact his quality of life?
- How will it impact my quality of life - financial trade-offs, all the visits to the vet school, setting a schedule around his at-home medicines, being available to let him outside more often (chemo can cause kidney issues if they don't go potty every few hours), delaying the inevitable loss of him?
- What maintenance regimen will they prescribe after the initial IV treatments?
So basically, a (not at all)
straightforward, simple, everyday decision...............................
Tell me about your experience:
- What factors informed your decision to pursue or not pursue cancer treatment for your pal?
- Who was helpful in making your decision?
- What is your dog's treatment protocol?
Those are some BIG pills!
ReplyDeleteTwo questions that my vet asked was:
ReplyDelete- If you did absolutely nothing, how would you feel if your dog passed very soon?
- If you did everything you could and spend thousands and your dog only lived six months, how would you feel?
- Chemo will mess with your dog. Do you think your dog's quality of life will be diminished if he/she is going to the vet a lot in his/her last days?
These are questions we thought a lot about when we were making a decision. The elephant in the room is, of course, "Can you afford it?" but that's a separate conversation we needed to have with ourselves.
We looked around and found many examples of people who had chosen both ways. We learned that there is NO wrong or right answer. People have done both, and both are totally and completely fine. So you just have to search your heart and do what is best for you.
I can also attest that chemo does NOT affect dogs the way it affects humans. The dosage is much lower. That's because the whole philosophy around dog chemo is focused on extending a quality life—whereas with humans we will do whatever is necessary to extend life, even if it makes use sick. In my dog's case, there have not been any severe side effects. We were told that severe side effects only occur in 20% of dogs. That said, are we willing to take that gamble with our dogs?
Not easy questions by ANY means. It caused us so much hairpulling and anguish.
whoops, THREE questions my vet asked. i added a third at the last minute. :-)
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